Bleisure Travel

Bleisure describes travel that combines both elements of business and leisure. Increasingly popular globally, combining a work trip with a few days of leisure time before, after, or even during business-focused elements is an attractive prospect for those needing to attend work events or meetings, as well as for people who can work for stretches at a time from remote locations. Good bleisure travel will feel like the perfect combination of both work and play, bringing advantages such as reduced stress, improved productivity, and improved staff retention.

Read on to discover more about the benefits of bleisure, plus how to choose the perfect destination for bleisure travel.

Improved productivity

If your only chance to experience a new city is a few glimpses from the window of a taxi, or gazing out of a meeting room window, those creative juices needed for that critical pitch or strategy day might not be flowing optimally. Bleisure trips can not only boost productivity while travelling, but can also bring people back to the office feeling refreshed and inspired, boosting your business beyond the trip itself too.

Reducing stress and improving wellbeing

A long journey to a soulless hotel room with a cramped desk in the corner, a bland styled meeting room, food that leaves much to be desired…. and no opportunity to discover the locale before another long journey home. This is the old model of business travel and leaves most people tired and uninspired. When asking employees to take time away from their family and friends for work trips, giving them more opportunities to blend in leisure elements, visit inspiring places, and experience new things can turn a dreaded work trip into something people look forward to. The chance to extend a break around a weekend or annual leave days, or to bring traveling companions along too, can pay dividends when it comes to stress levels and employee morale.

Boosts local economies

Providing opportunities to explore local attractions before or after work, or adding additional leisure days to a work trip can help support local businesses and cultural attractions. With travel costs covered by work, bleisure travellers may feel more inclined to splash out on special treats or indulge in retail therapy. Bringing a friend or partner on the trip provides a further boost and could allow explorers to take advantage of special deals on entrance fees or food. Been somewhere great whilst on a bleisure trip? Don’t forget to review it online, or recommend it to others to further support it.

Kinder to the environment

Why take separate flights or train journeys for a work trip and a holiday when you can combine both and save on C02? Reducing not only time but fuel by opting for bleisure travel is a great option for both the cost-wise and the climate-conscious explorer.

Work comes first – prioritise good workspaces

The business side of a bleisure trip remains the first and foremost reason for this type of travel. There is no point staying somewhere with fabulous art on the walls but lacking proper workspace, or decent wifi. 

Allow space to unwind away from work

While work has to come first for bleisure travellers, the key to a successful bleisure trip is making space for the non-work elements to feel separate and special too. Choosing accommodation with dedicated, flexible workspaces away from the rooms can help to ensure this by making evenings and additional non-work days spent there feel separate from work. 

Location, location, location

Finding a great spot to stay that has excellent transport links and interesting local attractions and eateries is the key to successful bleisure trips. Being ages away from airports or train stations means more time and expense taken up on travel time, however being stuck in a boring hotel that was booked just because it is right next to a transport hub can reduce the opportunities for the leisure element to flourish. Flexible on timing or location for the trip? Researching local and cultural events and arranging bleisure travel to coincide with these can further broaden horizons and make the trip extra special.

Brama – the perfect bleisure destination

Less than an hour from Gatwick Airport and with rail links into Central London in under 20 minutes, Brama is ideally situated for a bleisure trip. Set within the gloriously restored Bromley Old Town Hall, our gorgeous Art Deco-inspired rooms provide stylish, comfort-led amenities including Hypnos beds, rainfall showers, Bramley toiletries, and GHD hair dryers. 

As well as offering desks in each room, we share the building with Clockwise Bromley – flexible workspaces and first-class business amenities in the stunning settings of the old Courthouse and Council Chambers, retaining beautiful original elements including wood panelling and stained glass windows. Hotel guests receive 20% off day passes and meeting room bookings.

Also in the building is Dorothy and Marshall, an all-day dining destination offering delicious, locally sourced dishes, skillfully prepared and served by a team who seek to provide a truly exceptional dining experience, whether that be a catch-up with colleagues over a coffee or a dinner with a partner accompanying you on a bleisure trip. Hotel guests can enjoy 10% off the food bill here, leaving extra budget to boost your leisure time.

Stepping outside the Old Town Hall itself, Bromley is a beautiful South London borough, with a wealth of parks, eateries, and shops for bleisure travellers to explore, as well as two train stations that can whizz you to the attractions of Central London in as little as 16 minutes. Check out our guide to the delights of Bromley for further inspiration.